Loren Michelle

Coffee Lover. Holiday Planner. Photo Taker. Procrastinator. Star Gazer. Book Worm. Movie Buff. Sci-Fi/Fantasy Nut.

[Leon @TrpstrLeonOG]

CAN SOMEONE HELP ME UNDERSTAND THIS !

A guy I work with just got the email about the new scheduling system.

He’s been on the night shift for six years, base pay $23.10.

They cut his guaranteed hours from 40 to 32 so they can call it “flexible.”

Overtime is now pre-approved only, and last month they denied every request.

His kid’s daycare is $1,280 a month and doesn’t open early enough for the new start time.

He told the supervisor he’d have to find something else.

She said the system is “working as designed” and to submit a ticket if he has feedback.

He submitted it.

The auto-reply said they’d respond in 7–10 business days.

[Leon @TrpstrLeonOG]

A woman I know works the front desk at a dental office.

She makes $18.50 an hour and hasn’t had a raise in three years.

Last week the office was sold to a private equity group.

They cut her hours, switched her to a 1099, and raised the cleaning fee patients pay from $45 to $89.

She still has to collect the money and apologize when people get mad.

The new owners flew in for one meeting, took the team to lunch at a place that cost more than she makes in a day, then left.

She texted me afterward: “They said nothing is changing.”

Her next paycheck is $310 lighter.

[Leon @TrpstrLeonOG]

RECENTLY, My uncle was talking about how he bought his first car in cash.
1987. Brand new. $9,400.

He said he just saved for a few months and paid it.

I pulled up the inflation calculator on my phone under the table.
$9,400 in 1987 is about $26,800 today.

The same truck he described now starts at $48,900.

His salary that year was $21,600.
Mine is $56,200.

He kept talking about discipline.
I put the phone face down.

He asked if I was going to get a new one soon.
I said maybe.

What I didn’t say is that $48,900 is more than he paid for the house he still lives in.
And I’m still trying to get approved for a used one.

[Leon @TrpstrLeonOG]

MY FRIEND: “I spent $455 looking for an apartment last month.”

ME: “On gas?”

HIM: “Application fees.”

ME: “What?”

HIM: “Seven apartments. $65 each.”

ME: “Did you get approved?”

HIM: “No.”

ME: “Did they refund you?”

HIM: “No.”

ME: “So you paid $455 to be told you can't rent?”

HIM: “Pretty much.”

He makes $52,000 a year and has a 740 credit score.

One apartment had 38 applicants.

Another required income of 3.5 times the monthly rent.

The rent was $1,850.

That's $77,700 a year in required income.

Cities keep debating housing shortages, tenant protections, and whether application fees should be capped.

Meanwhile, my friend is down $455 and still living with his parents.

Apparently even getting rejected has a cover charge now.

[Leon @TrpstrLeonOG]

My coworker’s dad has been taking the same medication for 6 years.

Last month, he went to pick up his refill.

The pharmacy told him it would cost $218 with his insurance.

He asked what the price would be without insurance.

$34.

He thought the pharmacist was joking.

Same medication.

Same manufacturer.

Same pharmacy.

$184 difference depending on which payment method he used.

He pays $460 a month for health insurance through his employer.

And apparently the best way to afford his prescription is to pretend he doesn’t have any.

We have politicians debating prescription drug prices, insurance reform, and pharmacy middlemen every year.

Meanwhile, a guy paying $5,520 annually for coverage just discovered his insurance card can make something MORE expensive.

At this point, what exactly is he insuring?

[Leon @TrpstrLeonOG]

My dad took me to the store with him last weekend.
He still writes a list on paper.

He grabbed the same brand of coffee he’s bought since I was a kid.
$14.89.

He stared at it for a second, then put it back and got the store brand.
$7.49.

In the car he said when he was my age that coffee was $2.19 and he never thought twice.

I did the math while he drove.
His first real salary was $19,400.
That $2.19 coffee was nothing.

My salary is $54,600.
The $14.89 coffee is still nothing on paper.
But I put the store brand in my cart too.

He asked if I was saving for a house.
I said yeah.

He nodded like that was the whole answer.
I didn’t tell him the down payment I’m aiming for is more than he paid for his entire first house.

[Leon @TrpstrLeonOG]

My neighbor works in insurance claims.

His company introduced AI software to improve productivity.

Management called it a huge success.

Here’s what changed.

BEFORE AI:

8 employees

$24 per hour

40 hours per week

Weekly team payroll: $7,680

AFTER AI:

5 employees

$24 per hour

40 hours per week

Weekly team payroll: $4,800

PAYROLL REDUCTION: $2,880/week

The remaining employees now handle more complicated cases because the software processes the easy ones.

My neighbor went from handling 18 claims a day to 29.

His raise this year?

$0.

Obviously, the software costs money too. But management keeps celebrating how much labor they’re saving.

Everyone’s debating how AI will transform the economy.

Can we discuss who gets the financial benefits when employees become more productive?

Because the computers got smarter.

His paycheck didn’t.

[Leon @TrpstrLeonOG]

My uncle thought he had discovered the ultimate inflation hack.

Buy a house with a fixed-rate mortgage.

No landlord.

No rent increases.

Predictable payments for 30 years.

In 2022, his total monthly mortgage payment was $1,890.

His principal and interest are still exactly $1,420.

But homeowners insurance increased by $260 a month.

Property taxes added another $175.

New monthly payment: $2,325.

He called the bank because he thought something was wrong.

They explained that his interest rate was fixed.

Not his insurance.

Not his taxes.

Not his maintenance costs.

We're arguing about housing affordability, property-tax relief, and insurance regulation.

Meanwhile, homeowners are discovering that fixing one part of the equation doesn't fix the rest.

So here's my financial advice.

Get a 30-year fixed-rate agreement with your insurance company, the county, and the weather.

Let me know how that goes.

[Leon @TrpstrLeonOG]

My cousin just got her lease renewal.

She’s been in the same apartment for 4 years.

Rent started at $1,450.

Then $1,575.

Then $1,740.

Now the landlord wants $2,050.

She asked what improvements justified another $310 a month.

The answer?

“Higher operating costs and market adjustments.”

The building hasn't been renovated. The elevators still break. The laundry machines still take quarters.

She makes $58,000 a year working at a hospital.

Her annual raise was $1,450 before taxes.

Her annual rent increase is $3,720.

We keep debating whether wages are growing fast enough to beat inflation.

Meanwhile, one email from her landlord just swallowed almost three years of raises.

Apparently the market adjusted.

Her paycheck forgot to.

[Leon @TrpstrLeonOG]

My dad’s first paycheck in 1985 was $412. 
Rent that month: $295. 
He still had money for food, gas, and a little savings. 

My brother’s first real paycheck last month was $1,840. 
Rent: $1,650. 
He still had to put groceries on a credit card. 

Same city. 
Same kind of job. 
Same size apartment. 

My dad keeps saying the difference is work ethic. 
My brother works 50 hours a week and still checks the gas tank before he drives anywhere. 

I watched both of them look at their phones at dinner. 
Only one of them looked worried.

[Leon @TrpstrLeonOG]

My aunt still lives on the street she bought on in 1979.
House cost $39,800.
She was a secretary making $11,200.

Last week a house three doors down listed for $515,000.
The buyers are both teachers.
Combined income $112,000.

My aunt walked over with cookies when they moved in.
She asked if they were happy.

They said the payment is $3,420 and they already cut the cable and stopped eating out.

She told them it gets easier.
They smiled.

She came home and told my uncle the new people seem stressed.
He said everyone is stressed when they first buy.

She didn’t answer.
She just looked at their own paid-off house and stayed quiet.

[Leon @TrpstrLeonOG]

CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHY BUYING A CONCERT TICKET FEELS LIKE APPLYING FOR A LOAN?

My sister wanted to see her favorite artist.

Advertised ticket price: $89.

Reasonable enough.

Then she reached checkout.

Ticket: $89.

Service fee: $24.

Facility fee: $12.

Order processing: $8.

Taxes: $10.

Total: $143.

Then she realized parking would cost another $15.

So her $89 ticket was actually going to cost $158.

Almost 78% more than the advertised base price.

And she hadn’t bought food, drinks, or merchandise.

We have endless debates about inflation and why entertainment has become so expensive.

Meanwhile, entire pricing systems are designed around getting customers emotionally committed to buying something before showing them the full bill.

If it costs $158 to attend, just tell me.

Why does every checkout page feel like a plot twist?

[Leon @TrpstrLeonOG]

My coworker needed a crown on a cracked tooth.

Dentist quoted him $1,800.

He wasn’t worried because he had dental insurance through work.

Then he found out his plan only covers 50% of major procedures, with a $1,500 annual maximum benefit.

He’d already used $400 of that benefit earlier in the year.

Insurance paid $900.

He paid the other $900.

He’s been paying $38 a month for dental coverage.

That’s $456 a year just to have the insurance.

And the annual maximum benefit hasn’t increased in years.

I asked him what happens if he needs another crown.

He said he’d probably wait until January.

We’ve somehow created a system where people schedule dental problems around their insurance company’s calendar.

Your teeth don’t get an annual spending limit.

But apparently the insurance does.

[Leon @TrpstrLeonOG]

1991 – My dad’s first real job.
$24,800 a year.

Apartment: $410 a month.

New car: $9,200.

He paid the car off in 18 months and still had money left.

2026 – Same job title at the same company. $61,400 a year.

Same style apartment: $1,890 a month.

Same class of car: $36,800.

My cousin is on a 72-month loan at 8.1%.

My dad still drives past the old apartment sometimes.

He says the building looks smaller than he remembers.

My cousin just renewed his lease.
He said the only thing that got smaller was the leftover money.

[Kassiee @Kassiewontmiss]

A singular act of love can inspire real change

[Bukayo Rice 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🤍❤️ @gooner_since05]

You can't ignore Viktor Gyokeres improvement in the past two games though

His issue is confidence, imposter syndrome can cripple even the greatest of minds

[Bukayo Rice 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🤍❤️ @gooner_since05]

Declan Rice gets injured then the season is over 💔💔

[Bukayo Rice 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🤍❤️ @gooner_since05]

Zubimendi was pissed as he was going off even skelly tried 😤😤

[Bukayo Rice 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🤍❤️ @gooner_since05]

William Saliba is a proper fashion Icon, can't wait for him to be back🔥🔥🤝

[Bukayo Rice 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🤍❤️ @gooner_since05]

I bet you did not know that Ricardo calafiori can also play the guitar